Green Lady
by Mahina
Summary: Toby Williams is spoiled, fifteen, and an only child. Or so he thinks. A trip to the Labyrinth will turn his world upside down. Sarah as a guide through the Labyrinth. J/S


Toby Williams delicately lifted a bra out of the bag, pinched between thumb and forefinger like some toxic viper that might just bite his hand at any moment.

"White with no lace," said Greg with a grin. "Pay up man."

Toby grimaced. Rex snickered. Hovering outside the bleachers where they'd found the bag nestled, Stu Weidemeyer took his eyes off lookout duty to ogle the dirty goods.

"I thought spics were supposed to be…like…saucy." Toby grumbled.

"Does Sanchez look saucy to you?" Greg rolled his eyes. "I wasn't even sure we'd find a bra, she's so butch."

"But she's got nice taa-taas!" Stu grinned.

"What's a spic?" Rex asked.

Toby slapped Rex over the head with the dull cotton bra. Rex squealed like a girl and furiously clawed it off.

"Gross, gross! Sanchez sweats in this thing, dude!" Rex gagged. "Sanchez sweat! I'm ruined!"

Now Stu and Greg were snickering. Toby looked at the bra lying in the dirt. Actually, it smelled like cocoa butter and sugar. Toby guessed that must be deodorant.

"Come on." Rex growled. He jabbed at the gym bag. "What else is in there?"

Toby opened the bag a little further and rummaged around.

"Uhhhh…" Toby said. "Clothes…pens…shampoo…calculus textbook…" He looked over at Greg and smirked. "You think she'd miss her calculus homework?"

Greg raised an eyebrow. "Toby, you are a goblin, my friend. Take it."

Toby bared his teeth in a feral grin as he pulled out the paper in a crumpled fist and shoved it into Rex's lap. "Put that in your bag, Rex." He said.

Rex shoved the homework in his bag without complaint. They all had their duffels with them, fresh from the locker room and football practice. Coach Hoffman usually let the team out early the night before a big game.

Toby dove back into the girl's sack. English books, hairbrush, sunscreen. He was looking for a cell phone when he hit comedy gold.

"Oh boy…" He whispered. "Guys, take a look at this!"

Everyone leaned in closer. Slowly, with as much dramatic flair as Toby could muster, the Pandover Boarding Academy star JV linebacker pulled out a thin plastic case. It was a Playstation video game. On the cover, a raven-haired woman in an emerald green tunic held out a crystal, beckoning coyly with half-lidded eyes. Behind her stretched a sprawling maze that seemed to lead to the silhouette of a castle perched on a hill. The title "_Labyrinth"_ was embossed in the corner in glittering gold letters.

"Ho-ly shit." Greg gaped. "Take a look at the package on this guy on the back."

Toby flipped the case over. A man with wildly uncut blond hair and a glitzy turquoise tailcoat posed proudly in skintight leggings. He was definitely dangling.

"Looks like you." Rex said, punching Toby.

"Shut up, dimbulb." Toby retorted.

"I think this wins the award for gayest video game _ever_." Greg said. "Any of you ever heard of 'Labyrinth'?"

Toby shook his head. Rex shrugged.

"Oi!" Stu whispered urgently from above. "Heads up, men. Fencing club just got out. Sanchez is making a beeline for the bleachers!"

Toby, Greg and Rex jumped and hastily started cramming things back into the gym bag. Rex comically tried beating the dirt off of Sanchez's scuffed bra. Toby stuffed the video game in on top and zipped everything up.

Greg passed Toby a cigarette. Toby twirled it in his fingers, then put it unlit to his lips. Greg and Rex fumbled with the lighter, then tried to hand it to Toby. Toby declined. Greg rolled his eyes.

"Sorry chica…" Stu's voice drifted from in front of the bleachers, "No accesso. Closed for- AAARRGH!"

"What are you idiots doing?" a girl's voice demanded. Toby glanced over as Luz Sanchez stepped around Stu. The lookout was cursing and sucking on a twisted finger.

"Way to guard our borders, Stu." Greg muttered.

"I heard that." Luz snapped. "One of these days I am going to nail you all for racial harassment."

Toby gave Luz a once-over. Five-foot six, medium build…verified C-cup. The Pandover affirmative action charity case might be pretty, Toby mused, if her clench-fist posture wasn't so manly. Or if her blunt-hacked wavy brown hair was longer instead of pulled back into low, stunted pigtails. She was sweating heavily from fencing practice too. And wearing a white shirt.

Over a C-cup.

Toby pushed off from the iron girder he had been posing against, trying to look as if he had been lounging there since the end of football practice. He dropped his unlit cigarette and made a show of grinding it into the dirt.

"I don't think you do, Sanchez." He said. "Didn't work out so well for you last time."

Luz glared. "Not all of us have scumbag politicians for daddies." She flicked her eyes at Rex.

Rex almost lunged forward. Toby subtly held out a hand to stop him.

"That's right." Toby said smugly. "Some of us don't have daddies at all."

Luz Sanchez went red. Toby didn't realize her copper-toned skin could flush like that.

"Get out." Luz hissed. She jerked her head sharply towards Stu, who was still ambling fecklessly outside the bleachers nursing his hand.

"No comeback, chica?" Greg asked.

"Just clear out before I call in Coach Hoffman." Luz replied tonelessly. "I know he won't bench you lot, but at least he won't be happy to catch you smoking again. Not when he can smell it on you."

Toby raised his hands in surrender. "Alright, alright," he said. "You got us there." He rolled his eyes at Rex and Greg. "The sour pussy wants us gone. Party's over."

Rex, Greg, and even Stu snickered. Rex and Greg ambled out, Greg intentionally bumping Luze with his overstuffed duffel. Luze glared and went to grab her bag. Toby stepped in her way.

"Yes, Williams?" Luze ground out in sheer irritation. "What now?"

"…" Actually, Toby forgot what he was going to do. Why had he stepped in front of Sanchez?

"Well?" Luz demanded.

Mentally Toby began to panic a little. If he just turned away now he would look pretty stupid. What was he doing? _Intimidate her_, he thought. Toby pressed forward until they were only a handspan apart. He looked down at her, trying to make the most of his five-inch height advantage and broad shoulders. The girl had really wide, full lips.

They parted slightly. Toby's mouth felt dry in response.

Quick as a hawk, Toby swooped in and landed a peck. His head snapped back before the act even registered with Sanchez. He patted her cheek and smirked condescendingly.

"Only because you love me so much." Toby said. He stepped around the girl before she could summon a coherent response. Luz stood frozen in the shadows as Toby joined his gang in the sun. With a jerk of the shoulder, they fell into line beside him.

"What did you do to her?" Greg asked, eyeing his friend.

"Found a new way to shut her up." Toby shrugged cryptically. Who knew that worked outside of movies?

Greg grunted in eloquent reply.

"What's for dinner?" Rex pondered.

"We are totally going to pound Dexeter Prep tomorrow…" Greg sighed as he fell back on his narrow twin bed. He sat up again. "Dude, you aren't really going to do homework on a Friday, are you?"

Toby rolled his eyes at his desk. He was unpacking books from his bag. "Some of us have a chance at graduating with honors, you know."

"What do you need honors for?" Greg snorted. "You're going to get a full ride anywhere in the country for football. Then the NFL."

"True." Toby flashed his roommate a grin. "But try telling that to my father. He says it's going to be Yale, then Harvard Law. I'll sit behind a desk and never set foot on sweet astroturf again. Mom and dad don't do dreams."

"Hard to believe he was ever married that actress…what's her name, the one in all the supernatural flicks? Linda Williams."

Toby plopped down in his chair. "No kidding. I think that woman got him bent. Both my parents have this neurosis about fantasy. They wouldn't even let me read Harry Potter."

Greg laughed. "Dude, Harry Potter is for morons and people like Sanchez. Did you _see_ that video game?"

Toby smirked. "_Labyrinth_. I think that fairy on the back is burned permanently on my retinas."

Greg snickered. "We should have taken it instead of the calc homework. It was brilliant blackmail. Butch Sanchez has a secret soft spot for playing princess and gay dandy-men."

Toby tapped his fingers on the desk. Actually, the illustration had given him deja-vu, and he couldn't quite figure why. He reached into his bag to pull out another textbook and froze. _No way_.

Sanchez' video game was in his bag.

_I know I put that back, _Toby gaped. _It was the last thing I put back._

"DUDE!" Greg's voice boomed over Toby's shoulder. Toby jumped. Greg snatched the video game out of Toby's hand. "You did take it!"

Toby opened his mouth to tell Greg he did no such thing, then closed it with a clack. Greg was already hovering over their Playstation, putting in the disk. He tossed Toby a controller.

"This is going to be awesome." He grinned. Toby felt himself grin back reflexively.

_Well…It's better than writing an essay on medieval myths as morality tales. _Toby reasoned. He picked up the controller. Glittering gold letters began to spell out narration on the screen.

**LABYRINTH**

**ONCE UPON A TIME…**

Toby clicked "x" to continue.

**A TIME NOT TO LONG AGO **

**AND A PLACE NOT TOO FAR AWAY.**

"What a Star Wars rip-off." Greg muttered. Toby pressed "x" again.

**A POOR SERVANT GIRL**

**TENDED THE GARDENS **

**OF AN ARROGANT PRINCE.**

A cartoonish-looking girl in a tavern wench dress and bonnet waltzed onto the screen, plucking peaches from an orchard to fill an empty basket. The animation was a little choppy.

"That looks like Sanchez." Greg commented. "I heard her mom does Tracy Stevens' yard. Tracy says Sanchez prunes trees on the campus for extra pennies on the weekends."

"Really." Toby said. "I thought her mom must be a maid or something."

"Nope, definitely a gardener."

"That's kind of butch."

"Runs in the family."

Toby hit continue.

**BUT WHAT NO ONE KNEW**

**WAS THAT THE PRINCE**

**HAD FALLEN IN LOVE WITH**

**THE SERVANT GIRL**

"Oh _brother._" Greg groaned. "Now I get it. I know where this is going. Turn it off before I get brain melt."

Toby smirked viciously. "You were the one who wanted to play."

"Yeah, and now I want to turn it off. I do _not_ need to see this."

Toby made a face and let the introduction continue. A burly blond man in typical princely garb trotted up to the servant girl on a white pony. He dismounted. It was so cheesy Toby thought it was hysterical.

"Just watch." Greg said. "He's gonna kneel and propose."

**HE ASKED HER**

**TO BE HIS QUEEN.**

The animation kneeled. "Ooooh." Greg said. "I'm good."

Toby rolled his eyes. "A two year old could have seen that coming."

"Just keep rolling."

**YET THE PRINCE WAS **

**A VERY SPOILED MAN…**

**AND THE GIRL WAS **

**PRACTICALLY A SLAVE.**

**SHE DID NOT BELIEVE **

**HIS PLEAS OF LOVE AND **

**SHE TURNED HIM AWAY.**

"No way." Toby said. He waved his controller at the screen. "Can't she see that guy is the best offer she'll ever get? Who turns down a sugar daddy?"

"Dumb bint." Greg agreed.

Toby clicked 'x'.

**IN A RAGE, THE PRINCE**

**CALLED UPON THE GOBLIN KING!**

Lightning struck across the screen and thunder rumbled low in the speakers. It almost sounded to Toby like a real storm was outside.

"Whaaaaaat?" Greg said, sitting up. Toby shrugged and clicked to continue.

**"IF YOU WILL NOT BE MINE,"**

**THE PRINCE CRIED, **

**"THEN YOU SHALL BE NO ONE'S!"**

"Oh christ." Toby muttered.

**"GOBLIN KING, GOBLIN KING!**

**WHEREVER YOU MAY BE!**

**TAKE THIS WENCH **

**FAR AWAY FROM ME!"**

"Mother Mary, someone needs to fire the writer." Toby said.

"You know, Goblin Kings seem more pagan than Christian, Toby." Greg mused.

"Fuck this." Toby groaned. He rapidly jabbed his finger against the 'x' button, bypassing the rest of the dialogue as soon as it began to pop up. Pretty much the stupid elf guy showed up, only in less gay clothes and a black cape. Greg made a crack about Batman wannabes. Toby pointed out that the guy was really an owl and stole babies instead of fighting crime.

"I don't care," Greg said. "DC Comics should still sue their asses off."

After more narration, Toby finally found himself in front of a massive set of gates leading to a Labyrinth. Fairy king had disappeared in an explosive puff of glitter, and Toby had no instructions how to proceed.

"Do you think I'm supposed to hack the gates down?" Toby asked Greg. "The character's got a sword."

"I have no idea, man." Greg replied, examining the game case. "This piece of cheap shit doesn't have an insert. The back just says it's a game of dreams and 'Things are never what they seem.'"

"Anything else?"

"Ask the right questions." Greg read.

"Arrrrrrgh." Toby groaned. He mashed the controls, jamming the buttons randomly in frustration. He walked his character up to the wall and banged into it repeatedly. "Fucking...How do I even get _into_ this Labyrinth!"

**ARE YE STUPID? ALL YE HAD TO DO WAS ASK.**

Toby started. A short, dwarf-like figure waddled up to Toby's prince. It waved an arm casually at the vine-encrusted gates. They swung open with a boom, and the dwarf waddled away.

"What did you do?" Greg wondered.

"I must have pressed something." Toby shrugged.

"This game is boring." Greg said. "There's no action. You wanna to play something else?"

"But I just got into the Labyrinth…" Toby complained.

Greg looked at Toby incredulously. "You really want to play Sanchez's whack-job video game all Friday night? The varsity d-line should be having their pre-game party on the third floor right now. You can't ditch on that."

"Sure I can." Toby said belligerently.

"No…" Greg said. "You can't. I wasn't supposed to tell you, but they're gonna make you the freshman prince at Homecoming tomorrow. You got to pick a consort. You will be _the man_ at this party, dude. The upperclassmen are smuggling in all the girls; every one of them is going to be hanging over you hoping you'll choose 'em at the parade."

Toby looked between his friend and the video game, then back at his friend again. He thought, for some strange reason, about Sanchez' unpainted lips and sweaty white shirt.

"Alright, I'll go."

_That party was a mistake._ Toby thought with a groan as he rolled out of bed the next morning. He looked blearily at his alarm clock and blinked. Nine a.m.. At least he got sleep.

Toby glanced over at his roommate's bed. _Good. Greg got back too._ Toby had wandered out of the party at about one in the morning. Tracy and some other blonde soccer player tried to drunkenly crawl into his lap at the same time, and nearly gave him a bloody nose from a jabbed elbow. Toby figured it was time to go.

Nursing a dry mouth and a mild hangover, Toby set about collecting the crumpled beer cans at the foot of Greg's bed. Toby hoped Greg woke up in time to play. The parade was in two hours….the JV game was at three. Varsity played at six. Toby would never live it down if the team lost the most important game of the season because he let the quarterback get plastered. Just the same, Toby tightened the blinds against the agonizing sunlight streaming through the window.

"Gotta…" Toby rubbed his fingers against his temples. "That fucking idiot…bringing back beer…Gotta get these damn cans outta the room. Can't get in more trouble."

**HE GOT WHAT HE EARNED.**

Toby almost dropped the trash bag. The _Labyrinth _game was back on the screen. Only now it looked like the prince was down a hole, and the sexy black-haired girl from the cover was standing at the lip of the pit shaking her head.

"Wha…?" Toby was seriously creeped. Then he saw the mound of tissue paper on the floor by the controller and wrinkled his nose. "Oh, gross man. I am not cleaning that controller."

**YOU'VE GOT RESPONSIBILITY TOO.**

Toby glared at the girl on the screen, who was laughing at him with glittering green eyes. Her tunic showed a lot of leg. He could see what Greg was going for.

"I'm not his babysitter." Toby said. The girl snickered at him in disbelief. _Okay_, Toby thought. _That game is going in the trash _right now_. _

**YOU'LL GET WHAT YOU EARN TOO.**

"Uh-huh." Toby said. He pulled the plug on the Playstation. "Bye-bye." The screen flickered, then went black. Toby popped the still-spinning disk from the console. He snapped it into it's case, but hesitated before dumping it in the bag with the beer cans. He tucked it into the back of his waistband.

_I am going crazy_.

Pandover Boarding Academy was the number one school on the East Coast…at least for sending rich kids to Ivy League schools on legacy admission. The sprawling campus covered acres of private land, spotted with colonial-era dormitories, meticulous lawns and world-class facilities. A semester of tuition cost more than most universities. None of that meant anything to Toby. Today he was just trying to sneak beer cans across the paved walkways and dump them in the bins behind the mess hall without being seen in yesterday's rumpled clothes.

"Don't you have flunkies to dump the evidence for you, Williams?" Luz Sanchez set down her garden shears and stood up behind a shrub. She had a rake and a bag of fallen leaves, and spots of dirt on her grubby white wife-beater.

Toby groaned to himself. "Aaaaaand my day just officially took it's second nosedive." He muttered. He stared at the smooth expanse of Sanchez's tanned limbs. Of all the people to run into, Murphy really had it out for him. "Luz, you did not just see me here, okay? Go back to your…whatever. I won't tell people you work weekends."

Luz smiled. "I don't think so. Tracy Stevens let that cat out of the bag weeks ago. It's not a big surprise that the football team gets hammered, either, so I don't know what you think I'd gain from ratting you out. Sadly, they are not likely to expel you the day of Homecoming."

"Ah." Toby said. "Well then, I'll just be on my way. See you, Sanchez."

"Not so fast!" Luz interjected. "I think you _do_ have something I want."

"Oh?" Toby asked. He was suddenly very aware of the video game tucked in his waistband, pressed against his back. "I hope it's not what Tracy and Alexia wanted last night," Toby said with a doofish grin, "Because I'm feeling a little spent." _Stupid, stupid, stupid._

To his surprise Luz flushed. The vulnerability passed in a second. "No," She snapped. "I want my video game back you jerk!"

"Video game?" Toby tried playing dumb. He fought the impulse to touch the plastic case underneath his shirt in reassurance. "What makes you think I took your video game?"

Luz blew a flyaway hair out of her face. "Don't play dumb with me, Williams. The four of you yesterday just _happen_ to be hanging around my gym bag? I want to know which one of you stole my _Labyrinth_ disk."

"But not your calculus homework?" Toby quipped.

Luz's eyes narrowed. "What _about_ my calculus homework?

"Nothing." Toby said quickly. "This Labyrinth game important?" He asked.

Luz looked at him suspiciously. "It's…unique." She said.

Toby thought that was an interesting way to describe the hell-game. He pulled it out from his waistband and flashed it at her. "Almost like it can read your mind, right?" He said.

Luz eyes brightened. "You played it." She declaired.

Toby made a noncommittal noise. "What is it?" He asked seriously.

Luz abandoned her gardening tools and leaves. She walked over and gently took the game from Toby's hands. Her copper skin was really, really smooth.

"I think…" She trailed off softly. She looked Toby up and down, and seemed to come to a decision. "I think it's magic." She said firmly.

"Magic?" Toby quirked an eyebrow. Was she trying to take him for a gullible fool? He almost laughed. The AI was creepy, but it wasn't sorcery. But Luz was standing there, looking up at him with wide eyes and absolute sincerity in her expression. It was too unbelievable. "Are you for real, Sanchez? _Magic?_"

Luz flinched like she'd been slapped. "I…well…I didn't mean _real_ magic, you know." she hastily backpedalled. "More like how technology can almost _seem _like magic these days. Right?"

"Oh right." Toby said sarcastically. "Technological

Luz tittered nervously.


End file.
